Chapter text

Jongin was still cradling Kyo Jin against his chest, the boy's head on his shoulder, as he followed Kyungsoo. Whenever he tried to gawk or touch those eerie stuff—a -shaped lamb, a tree-shaped coat stand with more ranches than necessary, and a collection of -shaped picture frames, Kyungsoo shooed him to the next destination of the house, clearly embarrassed by those stuff that Jongin was sure not his own buying. It just took only a brief glance at Kyungsoo and you would know that he was no man of excessive ornaments.

"It's already late, you know." Kyungsoo informed in a dismissal tone—he just really needed sleep right now— after helping Jongin gently lay Kyo Jin onto his crib. His son was nippling onto the pink pacifier that Baekhyun had bought him on his three-year-old birthday last month. Kyungsoo knew Kyo Jin was old enough that he didn't need a pacifier, but he was just too drained out to wean him from the soother. He promised to himself that he would do it soon.

Jongin stood somehow helplessly at the door frame of the bedroom, shivering once in awhile, and played with his fingers as he looked at the floor.

"I can lend you some clothes so you can get home," Kyungsoo suggested, not so enthusiastic.

"Oh," Jongin looked up at him at this, "Oh, that's really nice of you. You know, uhm, I don't really have a home to go, so I have a friend, Sehun, he agreed to put me up after I left the orphanage. Could I borrow your phone to call him?"

Kyungsoo nodded and approached Jongin to hand him his phone. The taller got out of the room to call for his friend and came back after some minutes with a tired expression on his face.

"So I guess Sehun couldn't let you in tonight?" Kyungsoo started, because Jongin looked like he didn't know how to say what he had to say.

"Yeah," Jongin breathed out, seemingly half relieved that Kyungsoo had already sensed his struggle, half embarrassed of what reason he was going to say. "He's having, uhm, stuff, with his boyfriend Luhan right at this moment so he can't—"

Kyungsoo stiffed a laugh at that because man, he would not sell his laugh that easily to someone he just met, but he couldn't help an amused snort. He knew exactly that was how best friends were like; they would ditch you if having the of their life. And it was funny just because "You tend to give too much information, don't you?"

"Huh?"

"You haven't even known my friends' names after meeting them, and I already know about your fondness of buying discount products, about your friend and his boyfriend and their life. And about you being practically homeless right now."

Jongin couldn't find it in himself to feel offended at the statement, since Kyungsoo's words had no bite, and despite a light frown that seemed always on his face, his eyes showed a gleam of empathy.

"Uhm, I didn't mean to tell you something that you don't want to hear. I just thought I should explain things that—"

"Don't worry," Kyungsoo cut him off. "Unless it wakes Jinni up. Really." He ran his hand through his already messy hair as he offered. "You can stay here tonight, though I'm afraid you have to take the couch since I only have one bed as you can see."

The couch was much better if compared to a bed next to a so thin wall that you could hear moans from across it, Jongin decided.

"You look ridiculous." was the first thing Kyungsoo said when Jongin emerged out of the bathroom. Though Jongin couldn't see the necessity of going to the bathroom since he had just put on more clothes, not undressing, Kyungsoo had insisted him to.

"This is what you gave me," Jongin frowned and looked down at his own body. "Are you sure these are the biggest you have?"

The grey sweatpants looked like a pair of culottes, the waistband couldn't even reach pass his hipbones. The brown sweater that Kyungsoo had lent him was fitted onto his upper like a second skin. The hem of it was almost revealing his belly button, which he used both his hands to pull it down, and the sleeves were half up his forearms. Even when he was having more fabric on right now, somehow Jongin couldn't help but feel more exposed than when he had only cladded in a brief.

"Yes," Kyungsoo squinted at him then snorted. "You're stretching and ruining my clothes, you know? So stop complaining."

Kyungsoo handed him a pillow and a small-sized blanket that Jongin doubted it could cover all of his body. Jongin had a habit of sleeping with his head under blankets, he didn't expect he could survive this night.

"Can I make a report to the police now?" Jongin whined as Kyungsoo led him out of the bedroom. " I know it's not much, but at this very moment I really need my stuff back."

"You will call them tomorrow. Now I don't feel up to dealing with police in my house, and getting you to the police station in this snowy night is just NO."

"So you will help me to the police station tomorrow?" Jongin asked as he saw less and less of Kyungsoo's small frame when the door was closing.

"I hired a babysitter, why now I'm feeling like I'm taking another child under my wigs?" Kyungsoo's voice was cold and he huffed out a tired breath as he closed the door.

And when Jongin reached the staircase leading down to the living room, he heard a creak of the door and Kyungsoo's small voice "There's a new toothbrush in the cabinet in the first floor bathroom." 

Maybe Kyungsoo wasn't that cold.

The first thing Jongin realized when he woke up was that he was really hot, like really literally, and feeling like suffocated. He sat up straight so fast his head spun. He was wrapped around a pile of blankets, not like how he remembered he had been last night with only a funny sized one. There were at least four of them now from thick one to thin one to baby one. And is that a mattress cover?

"Yes, they only left him with a brief." Jongin heard a faint sound from the kitchen as he struggled to get himself out of the blanket cocoon.

Kyungsoo was feeding Kyo Jin with a phone cradled between his ear and shoulder as Jongin peeked his head over the entrance of the kitchen.

Kyo Jin noticed his presence before his dad did. He flailed his arms forwards and excitedly squealed "Pick me up" as if Jongin could just go there and scoop him up from his green baby highchair without his dad's permission.

"Yes, thank you. We'll be there in about half an hour." Kyungsoo hung up and put his phone onto the dining table and shushed at his son to sit still, seeming not to notice there was a figure awkwardly standing at the doorframe.

When Kyungsoo said "Ah" to coax his son to open his small mouth for the next spoon, his own didn't form a cute small ellipse shape like people's often did in dramas, but there was a huge round shape like he was trying to fit his fist into it. His already huge eyes widened as his mouth too, and he just looked weirdly hilarious instead of cute.

"Good morning, Kyungsoo." Jongin cleared his throat. Kyungsoo seemed startled at this, since he jumped a feet in the air and accidentally flung the content on the spoon onto his pajama top.

"Holy moly," Kyungsoo yelped and turned to look at Jongin with madness in his eyes. "You scared the moly out of me, you little moly. And don't you have to add '-ssi' after my name? I'm older than you after all."

Kyungsoo had an odd style of cursing that Jongin nearly had no idea what he was saying.

Before Jongin could open his mouth to say anything to reply, Kyungsoo approached him with the spoon that had Jongin flinch. But nothing came, no smack of a cooking utensil on the bicep, just Kyungsoo ing the spoon into his hand as he wordlessly floated pass Jongin, probably going to change his stained clothes.

Kyo Jin was giggling in his seat, eyes bright with fondness. "Appa so clumsy." There was an adorable lisp in his voice.

Jongin grinned and picked his way to sit on the chair that was still warm from Kyungsoo's body heat.

"He is, right?" Jongin spooned up the soup and carefully twirled it around like a flying motion. "So now Jongin hyung is the pilot with an airplane. Kyo Jin will show hyung the airfield, won't you?"

Kyo Jin squeaked in delight as he opened his mouth to show his tongue, and with a imitation of an airplane sound, Jongin put the spoon into the boy's mouth.

Kyungsoo came back minutes later, all dressed up in dark—dark grey socks, dark blue jeans, black sweater and black coat, the only not-blacky thing on his body was a green backpack adorned with tiny symbols of heroes that he flung over one shoulder. It seemed like he gave no care about clothes and just put on anything he found in the closet. And he looked like not bothering to comb his hair either.

"Jinni finished it all up?" Kyungsoo asked as he took a seat next to Jongin, eyeing the empty bowl and then Jongin, a skeptical look on his face.

Jongin nodded, grinning proudly.

Kyungsoo opened his mouth, but before any words came out, there was a commotion of someone barging into the house. Kyungsoo sighed, looking extremely defeated.

The voice was low, loud, and absolutely deafening at this early hour in the morning. "Do Kyungsoo," the voice boomed. "You have to thank me! I've found your handsome babysitter the most fashionable outfit that I bet costs more than all of his lost clothes combined."

Should Jongin feel offended? Yes. He jutted his lower lip out and looked at Kyungsoo, who clamped his hand onto his face and shook his head tiredly.

"Uncle Chanyeol," Kyo Jin chirped happily, alerting to the intruder where they were.

They saw the outfit before they saw Chanyeol. Jongin gulped, Kyungsoo sighed, and Kyo Jin cracked up.

"Uncle Chanyeol has a gecko costume." People often said a laugh of a child was the most beautiful sound, but one that Kyo Jin was laughing now sounded nothing more than a ridicule, even when a three-year-old didn't have any concept of mockery.

An normal-looking undershirt, but actually it was the most expensive, Chanyeol informed. A hoodie with several droplets of colors from small to big sizes on a white background. A pair of skinny light pink jeans ripped at the knees. A dark blue scarf matching a pair of Converse. A pair of light purple socks. And Chanyeol even bought him a brand new purple brief.

The taller clapped Jongin's shoulder with his big hand and enough force that pushed him forwards a bit when he handed him the outfit. "Go clean up and dress up, Jonginni, you'll look great." He encouraged but it just made Jongin's stomach drop even more.

Jongin took the borrowed outfit nonetheless, since it was better than Kyungsoo's tiny clothes, but frankly refused the socks despite Chanyeol practically begging him to wear.

The combination was way too colorful to his like, but Jongin indeed looked great. Even when he had to roll up the cuffs of the jeans since Chanyeol's height was undoubtedly admirable. He chuckled to himself while admiring his reflection in the mirror. And when he stepped into the living room later to find Kyungsoo and Kyo Jin sitting on the couch, he didn't miss the lingering gaze the dad seemingly unconsciously giving him and a faint blush gracing his cheeks when he abruptly averted his eyes.

"Come on," said Kyungsoo as he rose to his feet with Kyo Jin in his arms.

"We're going somewhere?" Jongin asked uncertainly.

"Yes," Kyungsoo had already led the way to the front door, Jongin right after his heels.

"I thought you have to go to work or something?"

"I have Saturdays off to take Jinni to some entertaining places for children. But now I'm wasting a day off to take you to the police station." Kyungsoo's voice was so calm and neutral that Jongin couldn't figure out if he was upset or not. So he just tried to put all his sincerity into a small "Sorry and thank you."

Chanyeol drove them to the police station with a speech of a snail, but that was understandable, given they having a child in the car. The tallest bid them goodbye before driving off with a speech of one who attempted at suicide.

The reporting was short, since Jongin's lost possessions were mainly clothes and personal items. And his phone. And his wallet. Jongin was not sobbing in front of the police and especially not a three-year-old kid.

"Be optimistic, at least you still keep your important papers," one of the police said in her kind voice. "And underwear," she added, chuckling.

After that she told them about some other recent cases with the same patterns like Jongin's, one victim had been even left since his underwear was gold gilded at the waistband. That had drawn out Kyungsoo's chuckle, and somehow it sounded really ethereal to Jongin's ear.

They spent twenty minutes at the station and ten other minutes of walking with Kyo Jin holding both of their hands. Jongin couldn't help but notice the height difference of them and feel like they would perfectly fit together when they hugged. A chuckled left his mouth before Jongin found Kyungsoo opening the door to lead him into a small, cozy bakery shop. The sweet butter aroma flooded into his nostrils as the door closed with a ringing sound behind him.

Kyungsoo gestured him to take any seat he wanted and made his way to the cashier area. Jongin sat Kyo Jin and himself down at a table in front of the large window where the sun beaming its warm light through the glass and onto their light and dark skin. The boy was listing out the colors of his hoodie as Jongin looked at Kyungsoo's narrow back.

Kyungsoo had jet black hair and it looked so thick and soft compared to average male standard, and he was messing with it while talking animatedly to some cashier with black shadows around his sleepy eyes. Jongin didn't think ordering cakes would be that fierce.

Two minutes later Kyungsoo came to their table with half a dozen of employees with the same scold on their faces. They wordlessly got into position and stood around the table with twelve eyes glaring at Jongin.

The tanned boy felt prickles run down his spine, his arms reflexly wrapped around Kyo Jin, who, for some reasons, giggling cheerfully.

"If you—" growled the man with shadowy eyes, his name tag Zitao.

"Ever—" super tall blonde-haired Yifan pressed his word.

"Touch—" Dumpling-faced Xiumin raised his fist.

"One strand—" Suho looked like he was fighting a smile on his kind, handsome face.

"Of Kyo Jin's—" Yixing sounded like he was trying to sell you drugs.

"And Kyungsoo's hair—" Jongdae's blank face strongly implied that he wasn't interested in what he was doing.

"We will hunt your fart box down." They all but finished the threat in unison.

Jongin didn't know what to think as he heard a groan "Oh God, you're all embarrassing me" of Kyungsoo in the background. For some reason, Jongin did feel threatened, not because that these people were intimidating by any means, but because they were so weird to the extent that it scared him.

Jongin found himself speechless and he heard some chuckles from other guests as if this attitude of those who worked in this bakery shop was nothing out of ordinary.

Jongin turned his head around to find Kyungsoo and gave him a crying smile (or is that a cry), asking for help. He hadn't met the man for more than 24 hours and the number of Kyungsoo's sighs was more than all the sighs of eighteen years Jongin had lived through.

Kyungsoo grabbed the nape of the tallest man named Yifan and pulled his head down until he could whisper into the man's ear without having to tiptoe. His voice was supposed to be quiet, but it came out loud and clear. "Hyung, I told you guys to make sure he's suitable for the job. Now he's gonna laugh at our faces."

"Why did you apply the job though?" The guy named Jongdae suddenly asked, but still showed no interest. 

"Because I'm broke?" Jongin replied.

"The salary is low like in hell, dude," Suho winced like a rick kid talked about cheap .

"What's your real intention?" Xiumin, despite his baby face, had muscles cover every part of his body that made Jongin shrink further into his seat. He was supposed to be protective of Kyo Jin, now he felt the boy in his arms bigger than himself.

Jongin turned to look at Kyungsoo again, a plea on the tip of his tongue. "Can I—Can I just quit my job now?" 

That had Kyungsoo's eyes widen. "What?"

"Because I thought you took me to a bakery to eat cake, and now I'm being interrogated with an empty stomach. What if you hired me as a babysitter but the actual job behind its cover is something else entirely. These guys just look like those weird gangsters in some cheap action movies. Are you wanting me to deliver drugs?" Jongin looked paler and paler despite his tanned complexion. "Or being a toy boy, since yesterday that guy with eyeliner talked something about taking care of the dad. Does it go by the meaning ? If it's the case—" Jongin swallowed at that, the rest of the speech lost.

At this point, Zitao and Jongdae broke into a fit of laughter and clung at each other's shoulders to gain support. Yifan, Suho and Xiumin averted their eyes elsewhere as if they couldn't stand watching a hurt boy. Yixing had already left to serve other guests with his dreamy (stoned) eyes.

Kyo Jin was laughing too, even when not understanding what was going on.

Kyungsoo was supposed to be the one who raised suspicion about this guy, and now he was being doubted back. And all of this was because of his ridiculous coworkers' tactic. 

"Stop imagining things," Kyungsoo grumbled, "And fine, if you want cake, just pick up one."

His former plan was to cook kimchi spaghetti for late breakfast slash early lunch at home to save money. Now thanks to his coworkers, he had to pay for cakes of all food. Kyungsoo had never been a sweet tooth.

"You're sure they won't put coke in that brownie?"

"You watched too much drama for your own good, Jongin," Kyungsoo rolled his eyes before picking his way to make orders.

Kyungsoo watched as Jongin put a spoonful of blueberry yogurt into Kyo Jin's mouth and a handful of brownie into his own. If anything, Jongin was a messy eater. His quality to feed Kyo Jin cleanly had nothing to do with the way he fed himself. But somehow Kyungsoo found it endearing, watching him use hand picking up his food.

"You don't eat yours?" Jongin asked around a mouthful, chocolate syrup stick over all the curves of his lips.

"You can have it if you want," Kyungsoo passed his plate across the table and offered Jongin a tissue. Seeming to realize how messy he was now, Jongin took it and ducked his head while tapping the piece on his mouth, a blush blooming on his tanned skin.

"Do you still want to take Kyo Jin to the park or something?" Jongin asked, using a plastic spoon now.

Kyungsoo checked the time; he still had a couple of hours before Kyo Jin's lunch time. "There's a playground few blocks away."

"Can I go with you two?"

"Don't you have to meet your friend Sehun?"

"I doubt he'd see me without some rounds of morning—" Jongin mouthed the last word now, "—."

"Okay," Kyungsoo said easily. Jongin sooner or later had to get familiar with Kyo Jin's favorite places. And there was no harm tagging one more person to a children playground after all.

How wrong he was!